A young boy was airlifted to a South Bend hospital after he and three other children had to be rescued Saturday afternoon from Washington Beach in Michigan City, officials said.
A church group from Chicago was visiting the beach when three boys lost their footing in the water, Indiana Department of Natural Resources spokeswoman Terri Millefoglie said in a statement released Saturday night. A fourth child, a 14-year-old girl from Mokena, went into the water in an attempt to help but was pulled under by one of the boys, the release said.
The first report on the incident came in about 5 p.m. when a Washington Beach lifeguard notified the Michigan City Coast Guard that they had rescued someone from the water at the beach, a Coast Guard spokesman said. As officers were reporting the incident to their Milwaukee branch, another call came in that lifeguards needed to return to the water to find other swimmers in trouble, the spokesman said.
All of the victims were initially taken to Franciscan St. Anthony Health Center in Michigan City, with three expected to be treated and released, the release said. The condition of the fourth victim in South Bend has not been released.
After initial concern that a fifth victim might still be in the water, the church group told officials they were able to account for the rest of their group.
Michelle Quinn is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
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